Open Letter To All Sportsmen

October 10, 2008
Fellow Sportsman,
Hello, my name is Rich Pearson and I have been active in the firearm rights
movement for over 40 years. For the past 15 years, I have served in the Illinois
state capitol as the chief lobbyist for the Illinois State Rifle Association.
I lobbied Barack Obama extensively while he was an Illinois State Senator. As a
result of that experience, I know Obama’s attitudes toward guns and gun owners
better than anyone. The truth be told, in all my years in the Capitol I have
never met a legislator who harbors more contempt for the law-abiding firearm
owner than Barack Obama.
Although Obama claims to be an advocate for the 2nd Amendment, his voting record
in the Illinois Senate paints a very different picture. While a state senator,
Obama voted for a bill that would ban nearly every hunting rifle, shotgun and
target rifle owned by Illinois citizens. That same bill would authorize the
state police to raid homes of gun owners and forcibly confiscate banned guns.
Obama supported a bill that would shut down law-abiding firearm manufacturers
including Springfield Armory, Armalite, Rock River Arms and Les Baer. Obama also
voted for a bill that would prohibit law-abiding citizens from purchasing more
than one gun per month.
Without a doubt, Barack Obama has proven himself to be an enemy of the law
abiding firearm owner. At the same time, Obama has proven himself to be a friend
to the hardened criminal. While a state senator, Obama voted 4 times against
legislation that would allow a homeowner to use a firearm in defense of home and
family.
Does Barack Obama still sound to you like a “friend” of the law-abiding gun
owner?
And speaking of friends, you can always tell a person by the company they keep.
Obama counts among his friends the Rev. Michael Pfleger - a renegade Chicago
priest who has openly called for the murder of gun shop owners and pro-gun
legislators. Then there is his buddy Richard Daley, the mayor of Chicago who has
declared that if it were up to him, nobody would be allowed to own a gun. And
let’s not forget Obama’s pal George Soros - the guy who has pumped millions of
dollars into the UN’s international effort to disarm law-abiding citizens.
Obama has shown that he is more than willing to use other people’s money to fund
his campaign to take your guns away from you. While a board member of the
leftist Joyce Foundation, Barack Obama wrote checks for tens of millions of
dollars to extremist gun control organizations such as the Illinois Council
Against Handgun Violence and the Violence Policy Center.
Does Barack Obama still sound to you like a “friend” of the law-abiding gun
owner?
By now, I’m sure that many of you have received mailings from an organization
called “American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA)” talking about what a
swell fellow Obama is and how he honors the 2nd Amendment and how you will never
have to worry about Obama coming to take your guns. Let me make it perfectly
clear - everything the AHSA says about Obama is pure hogwash. The AHSA is headed
by a group of left-wing elitists who subscribe to the British view of hunting
and shooting. That is, a state of affairs where hunting and shooting are
reserved for the wealthy upper-crust who can afford guided hunts on exclusive
private reserves. The AHSA is not your friend, never will be.
In closing, I’d like to remind you that I’m a guy who has actually gone nose to
nose with Obama on gun rights issues. The Obama I know cannot even begin to
identify with this nation’s outdoor traditions. The Obama I know sees you, the
law abiding gun owner, as nothing but a low-class lummox who is easily swayed by
the flash of a smile and a ration of rosy rhetoric. The Obama I know is a
stony-faced liar who has honed his skill at getting what he wants - so long as
people are willing to give it to him.
That’s the Barack Obama I know.
Sincerely,
(original signed)
Richard A. Pearson
Executive Director
Illinois State Rifle Association

Tags: sportsman,election,nra,obama